Free calls to Virgin mobile phones from your home phone

Consumers could be tempted to opt for mobile recycling in order to receive cash to put towards a new Virgin Media handset, if a recent announcement is anything to go by.

The operator has revealed that from April 1st it will offer new and existing customers on its network free home phone to mobile calls.

The move will see Virgin become the first UK company to offer such a free calls deal.

More than £1.6 billion is spent on calls each year from fixed line to mobiles in the UK, Virgin suggests, meaning that some households could slash their phone bills by making the change.

Graeme Oxby, executive director of mobile and telephony at Virgin Media, said: "At a time when other providers seem keen on giving their customers less from their phone service, we are extremely proud to be leading the way in this field, being the first to offer free home phone to mobile calls."

He added that the company aims to ensure that its customers get the best deals possible and the free calls to mobiles that it will offer with its home phone service demonstrates its commitment.